Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality
פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי
منتدى التعايش السلمي في النقب من أجل المساواة المدنية

Update from Negev Coexistence Forum

17.08.2012

• Eid Mubarak from NCF
• Demolition and violence in Al Arakib
• NCF General Assembly
• Social justice leaders visit Negev
• French embassy tour of unrecognized villages
• Petition against displacing Bedouin villages
• Membership fees and donations

Eid Mubarak from NCF

NCF would like to wish Eid Mubarak all our friends, partners and everyone in the Negev as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan comes to an end this weekend. May you have a happy celebration!

Demolition and violence in Al Arakib

The unrecognized Bedouin village of Al Arakib was demolished on August 16. Israeli police violently hit youth – including a teenage girl – in the village during the demolition. This was the 38th time since July 2010 that Al Arakib has been destroyed.

Children in Al Arakib filmed an earlier demolition of their village, which took place on July 17. The children filmed the demolition using cameras supplied during NCF video advocacy workshops in the village, which were meant to empower the children to better express themselves and the challenges they face.

To view NCF’s full list of house demolitions in the Negev, click here.

NCF General Assembly

Members of the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality are invited to join a general assembly taking place on Tuesday, August 28th at 7:30 p.m at the ‘Multaka-Mifgash’ center (7 Shlomo Hamelech, Be’er Sheva).

On the agenda: Elections for the NCF leadership, financial reports approval, updates on NCF activities, etc.

We appreciate your participation!
NCF Secretariat

Social justice leaders visit Negev

On 7 August leaders of the Israeli social justice protests came to the Negev to meet NCF activists and visit local villages. NCF members took the activists to a point looking out onto the whole Siyag area (in the northern Negev), and explained the history of the area and the situation today. From there, the group visited the unrecognized Bedouin village of Hashem Zane.

The objective of the trip was to find ways to work together, and to better explain the main issues that the Bedouin community is struggling against today, including, in particular, the Israeli government’s home demolition policy in Bedouin communities throughout the Negev.

French embassy visit to unrecognized villages

In early August, NCF conducted a field trip for members of the French embassy in Israel. Guided by NCF staff, the embassy members visited the unrecognized Bedouin villages of Al-Arakib and Wadi Al-Na’am.

Petition against displacing Bedouin villages

NCF is one of the organizations behind a recent petition to the Israeli High Court to cancel a plan to build new Jewish towns in the Negev at the expense of Bedouin citizens.

Described as “discriminatory, wasteful and unnecessary,” the Israeli government’s plan is to establish seven Jewish agricultural settlements near Mevo’ot Arad. This would forcibly displace the unrecognized Bedouin villages of Hamra, Sawa, El-Baat, Atir-Um El-Hiran and Tel Arad, which are home to over 8,000 residents.

To read more about the petition, click here.

Membership fees and donations

It’s that time of year again! NCF would like to remind our supporters to please submit membership fees, which help us continue to defend the rights of Bedouin citizens in the Negev.

Fees are 40 NIS for individuals, 60 NIS for families, and 20 NIS for students, and can be sent to: The Negev Coexistence Forum Civil Equality, PO Box 130, Omer, Israel, 84965.

With the approval of the Prawer-Amidror Plan, we anticipate that another difficult year lies ahead for the Naqab community. Please consider supporting our work to counter government actions that continue to harm Israel’s most vulnerable and marginalised citizens.

Every donation, no matter how great or small, goes a long way to help us achieve our goals. Thank you in advance for your generosity!